Aromatic amines and phenols are useful as monomers for high performance polymers such as aramid polymers and polybenzarenazoles. The structure of the specific monomer used greatly impacts polymer properties such as tenacity, solubility, and also the rheological behavior of the polymer during processing such as spinning. It is thought that replacing highly symmetric monomers that are currently used (e.g., 2,3,5,6-tetraaminopyridine) with asymmetric monomers would increase the solubility of the corresponding polymers and the ease with which they are processed. However, such monomers are often difficult to synthesize or are unknown. These materials are unknown and have not been synthesized.
There is a need for asymmetric monomers that can be readily synthesized and used in the production of high performance polymers such as aramid polymers and polybenzarenazoles.